CONTENTSParsha Questions & AnswersYiddish ProverbsDaily Dose of the RebbeQuick Halacha: Food brought into bathroom7 Mitzvos B’nai NoachSedrah SelectionsHalacha – Warming food on ShabbosParsha WordsearchPlease tell me what the Rebbe saidWonders of Creation – The duckYossi & CompanyParsha PizzazzKnow Your Nach – YehoshuaHeavenly HumorAnd G-d created sleepOf verses & versets10 UtterancesThe Weekly Haftorah

נר לאפריםבס"ד

Interesting items from around the Web

Bereishis בראשית

Parsha Questions (from ohr.edu)1. Why does the Torah start with the account of Creation?2. What happened to the light that was created on the first day?3. Why isn’t the word “good” associated with the second day?4. How were the trees supposed to taste?5. On which day were the sun and moon created?6. HaShem blessed the birds to be fruitful and to

multiply. Why did He not do so with the beasts?7. In whose likeness was man fashioned?8. What kind of food did Adam eat?9. Why is “the sixth day” written with the definite

article?10. At the end of the sixth day what was the world still

lacking?11. Why was man made from dust gathered from the

entire Earth?12. How is man superior to the animals?13. Why was it not good that man be alone?14. Where do we learn that one must not add to a

commandment from HaShem?15. What does it mean that Adam and Chava “knew that

they were naked?”16. Why did Hevel choose to be a shepherd?17. What was the marital practice of the generation who lived before the flood?18. What did Tuval-Cain invent?19. Why did Chanoch die at a young age?20. What was the sign that Shem was born with great propensity for righteousness?

YIDDISH PROVERBSA blind horse makes straight for the pitA wise man hears one word and understands twoA job is fine, but it interferes with your timeA person should live if only to satisfy one’s curiosity“For example” is no proofA fool grows without rainIf you can’t bite, don’t show your teethIf you dance at every wedding, you will weep for every death

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:Duty pours a glass of milk; but love stirs in a little chocolate syrup.

A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the RebbeThe mandate of the whole of Creation is stated almost immediately. They translate it as "Let their be light".

Instead, read, "It should become Light".All the world--even the darkness--should become a source of light and wisdom

Thanks for contributing to the Parsha Fun page:

www.ohr.edu; The Kosher Net; Torah Tidbits; L’chaim Weekly; Eishes Chayil Newsletter; Aram Soba Foundation; ShemaYisrael.com; Aish.edu; TorahTots.com; ParshaPages.com

Parsha Answers All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated

1. 1:1 - So that when the nations accuse us of stealing Eretz Canaan from the Canaanites, we can respond that HaShem, as Creator, has the right to give the land to whomever He sees fit, and He gave Eretz Canaan to us.

2. 1:4 - HaShem saw that the wicked would be unworthy of it so He hid it for the righteous.3. 1:7 - Because the work with the water wasn't completed until the third day. Anything that is incomplete is

not "good."4. 1:11 - The wood was to have the taste of the fruit.5. 1:14 - They were created on the first day and suspended in the firmament on the fourth day.6. 1:22 - He did not want the serpent, who was to be cursed, to receive a blessing.7. 1:26 - In the likeness of the angels.8. 1:30 - Vegetation.9. 1:31 "The" in Hebrew is the letter hey, which has a numerical value of five. HaShem created the world on

the condition that it will endure only if the Jewish People accept the Five Books of the Torah.10. 2:2 - Rest.11. 2:7 - So that wherever he might die, the earth would receive his body.12. 2:7 - He was given understanding and speech.13. 2:18 - If he were alone, he would appear to be a G-d; The creation of woman emphasized man's

dependence.14. 3:3 - From Chava. HaShem commanded not to eat from the tree but she added not to touch it. Because she

added to the command she eventually came to transgress it.15. 3:7 - They had been given one commandment and they had stripped themselves of it.16. 4:2 - Since the ground had been cursed he refrained from cultivating it.17. 4:19 - They married two wives, one with whom to have children. The other one was given a potion which

prevented her from bearing children.18. 4:22 - Murder weapons.19. 5:22 - Though he was righteous, he was easily influenced; therefore HaShem took him before his time to

protect him from sinning.20. 5:32 - He was born already circumcised.

▓ Quick Halacha ▓ Eating Food That Was Brought Into A Bathroom

The Rema says that you should not talk in the bathroom. The Be'er Heitev adds that certainly you should not eat. Rav Betzalel Stern (Betzel HaChochma 3:11) learns from here that bringing food into a bathroom is permissible since the Be'er Heitev only mentioned eating and not bringing food inside.

He cites an example of the Belzer Rebbe who wouldn't eat food that had been inside a bathroom but says that he did that as an extra measure of Kedusha and certainly didn't pasken that way L'Halacha. He brings down from various sources that it is better not to bring food into a bathroom if possible but if the food was brought in everyone holds it can be eaten. Rebbi Akiva Eiger (Yuma 77b) quotes an Aruch that says that women should not nurse her child immediately after leaving the bathroom because a "Ruach Ra'a" is in the milk. Although he doesn't say why, nevertheless says Rav Stern there is a distinction.

ISN'T IT FUNNYIsn't it funny that $10 seems like a lot when we give tzedaka, but so little when we go shopping?Isn't it funny how one hour seems so long when we worship G-d, and so short when we watch a ballgame?Isn't it funny how 2 hours in shul seem so much longer than when we watch a movie?Isn't it funny how when a ballgame goes into overtime we get so excited, but when prayers last a little longer

than usual, we complain?Isn't it funny how we find reading a whole Parsha from the Torah tiring, but that it's easy to read 100 pages of

the latest romance novel?Isn't it funny how we want to sit in the front row when we go to a basketball game or theatre, but that we sit in

the last rows of the shul?Isn't it funny how we need 2 or three weeks notice when there is an event to attend in the shul, and how we are

always available for other events or programs?Isn't it funny how we have difficulty to learn the parsha, but so easy to learn and tell the latest gossip?Isn't it funny how we believe in the newspapers, but we question the Torah?Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven even without believing, saying or doing anything?ISN'T IT FUNNY? Are you laughing? Are you thinking?

Seven Mitzvos B’nai NoachTHE BIG THREE

1. Don’t worship idolatry עבודה זרה

2. שפיכות דמים Don’t murder

3. Unacceptable physical relationships גלוי עריות

And א ב ג ד4. Limb from a living animal מן חיברא

5. רךב את השם Bless (cursing) with the Name

6. זלג Stealing

7. יןד Court system

These 7 laws are alluded to in the verse (Bereshis 2:16) Commanded How carry out? Set up courts (7)ויצו 'ה Merciful aspect. He takes the trouble to speak to us. The worst we can do is

to use His name to curse. (5)'א Might think plural. Need to know one force controls everything (1)

אל אדם Why about instead of to? Can mean in regard to people and know from next lesson, the Story of Kayin (2)

לאמר In all places indicates speaking to future generations. Must have proper relations to have generations to pass the information to (3)

Permitted to eat, not from that which is stolen (6) מכל עץ הדןאכל תאכל Eat that which is food, not torn from a living animal (4)

by Zvi Akiva Fleisher

Ch. 3, v. 21: "Kosnose ore" - Of what material were these garments made? 1) Lamb's wool (Gemara Sotoh 14a)2) Flax (Gemara Sotoh 14a)3) Nails as found on the tips of human fingers (M.R. Breishis 20:12)4) Camel's hair (M.R. Breishis 20:12)5) Hare's hair (M.R. Breishis 20:12)6) Snake skin (Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer ch. #20)7) Skin of the Livyoson fish (Rosh in the name of the medrash, Rivo)8) Priestly garments (Medrash Tanchumo Hechodosh parshas Toldos #12)

"Va'y'hi mi'keitz yomim" - When did the confrontation between Ka'yin and Hevel occur? (4:3)1) The first night of Pesach (Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer ch. #21)2) Chanukah (Breishis Rabboh 22:4)3) Shovuos (Breishis Rabboh 22:4)4) Rosh Hashonoh (Zohar Chodosh page 33b)

How old were Ka’yin & Hevel at that time? 1) This incident took place on day they were born. (Yalkut Reuveini in the name of the Medrash Plioh) I don't

know how this opinion will explain the words of our verse "Va'y'hi mi'keitz yomim." 2) Fifty days old (Breishis Rabboh 22:4) 3) At the end of their fortieth year (Medrash Tanchumo #9)

Kayin said to HaShem, “My sin is too great to bear” (4:13)Among the tens of thousands of laws in Shulchan Aruch, there is only one that is referred to as being

“too great to bear”. This is the sin of talking during the Chazan’s repetition of the Amidah (O.C. 124:7) Why?

When we pray to HaShem, we are acknowledging that He is close to us, that He listens to us, and that He controls our fate. When the Chazan repeats to Amidah, he is making the same declarations as our representative. Thus, our talking at that time, suggests we do not believe (G-d forbid) these declarations we just made.

“And HaShem gave Kayin a sign” (4:15)The Sages teach that the “sign” that HaSehm gave Kayin was a pet dog. Why?Hevel was stronger than Kayin, and when Kayin first attacked Hevel, the latter got the better of his

attacker. Kayin begged for mercy, and Hevel released him, only to be attacked again and killed.In short, Kayin failed to show gratitude to one who had been kind to him. In contrast, the nature of a

dog is to show undying gratitude and loyalty. Therefore, the sign to Kayin to learn these traits was a pet dog.

This is the account (book) of the descendants of Adam (5:1)The gematria of the word “sefer” (book) is 340, the same the word “shem” (name). HaRav Yisrael

m’Rizhin derives from here that the primary quality one should have in one’s “sefer” (book of life), is one’s “shem tov” (good name). A person works hard to develop a good reputation. It is turn follows one everywhere.

What was the name of Noach’s mother?1. Ashmo’a the daughter of Elishua, who was the son of Chanoch (Seder Hayom)2. Bas Enosh (Medrash Ksav Yad)3. Bronosh the daughter of Bracheil (Toldos Odom by the Mahara”sh Algazi)

DVAR HALACHA Warming Food on ShabbosEating warm food on Shabbos can definitely enhance a person’s Oneg Shabbos, but one must be careful to

warm the food in a way that does not desecrate the Shabbos. On Shabbos, cold food may be placed on a blech (sheet metal plate that covers a fire), but only on a relatively

cool area of the blech that will not heat the food to Yad Soledes (so hot that the “hand recoils”). A good way to tell if the blech is to see if one can keep one’s hand on the blech for an extended period of time. If that area of the blech passes the test, one may place cold food there on Shabbos since we that the food will not reach Yad Soledes.A method that permits actually heating fully cooked, dry, cold food on Shabbos is to place the food on top of a pot that is cooking on a blech.

There is a seeming contradiction in the Shulchan Aruch regarding this matter. In one place it seems to forbid this strategy. To prevent burning the cholent while keeping it hot, the Halachah permits increasing the separation between the pot of cholent and the fire by placing another pot as a spacer between the cholent pot and the fire. The Mechaber (author of the Shulchan Aruch) warns that the cholent should be held in the air while inserting the intervening pot.. One of the conditions that allow Chazara returning a hot pot of food to a blech on Shabbos demands that from the time the pot is removed from the blech and until it is returned, it must be continuously held. In other words, a pot (even though it is boiling hot) may not be placed on a blech on Shabbos unless it was just removed from the blech and, during the intervening time was not released from the hand. It is certainly not permitted to put a cold pot of food on a blech on Shabbos (if it will get very hot there) since only an airborne hot pot may be placed there. When the Mechaber tells us that the pot of burning cholent must be held in the air while inserting the ‘spacer’ pot, he must be considering the top of the spacer pot as a blech (albeit a cooler blech than the top surface of a conventional blech). Since the top surface of the spacer pot is considered a blech, it would appear that it should not be permitted to place cold food on top of a pot that is sitting on a blech just as it is not permitted to place cold food on the blech itself.

Yet, elsewhere the Mechaber clearly states that it is permitted to heat dry, fully cooked food on top of a pot that is sitting on a blech, even though the food will be heated to the point of Yad Soledes. Herein lies the contradiction - whereas in one place the Mechaber considers the top of a pot to be simply a blech, yet in another place he considers it to be more lenient than placing on a blech. The Pri M’egadim offers the resolution to this contradiction that the difference between the two cases revolves around whether the intervening pot is empty or whether it contains food. In the case of the cholent beginning to burn, we are talking about putting down an intervening empty pot to reduce the amount of heat reaching the cholent. The top of an empty pot is indeed considered to be part of the blech, and placing cold food on top of it is forbidden on Shabbos if the food will reach Yad Soledes and is only permitted if the food was on the blech, and now one is simply “returning” it to blech. Conversely, the second Halachah deals with a situation where the intervening pot contains food. Warming food on top of a full pot is not considered the same as warming food directly on a blech. The Chazon Ish explains that the Rabbinic prohibition against warming cold fully cooked food on a blech stems from the fact that one is warming the food with the heat of the fire. Even if an intervening empty pot is present, it is still considered that the heat of the fire was used to warm the food. On the other hand, if a pot of food is used as a heat source, it is considered that the food in the pot serves as the heat source rather than the fire itself serving as the heat source. This method is considered “Ain Derech Bishul B’Cach” - not a normal cooking process - and thus permitted, since food is not normally used to cook other food. However, though it is unusual for food to be cooked on top of an empty pot, it is considered a “Derech Bishul” since the cooking is being done in a conventional manner - by the heat of a flame.

It is therefore permitted to take a dry, fully cooked food, e.g. a kugel from the refrigerator and place it on a pot of food that is sitting on the stove or crockpot, even if we know that the kugel will reach the temperature of Yad Soledes. It is important to note that the fully cooked cold food must not contain liquid or a congealed liquid that will subsequently melt since heating a liquid to Yad Soledes is considered cooking no matter how it is heated.

Another point is that the full pot that one would like to use as a warming plate cannot merely be the bottom half of a double boiler that is filled with water. According to HaRav Gustman zt”l, if the intention is to use the pot as a double boiler and not to drink the water, one is in effect warming the cold food in a manner which is considered a “Derech Bishul” through the use of the double boiler. Likewise, those pans that have water encased in them that are marketed for use on Shabbos are no better than double boilers and do not provide the advertised leniency, according to Harav Elyashiv shlit”a. Of course if the pot of water on the blech is a teapot or hot-water urn, then it is clear that the water is there as a food, and the top of the teapot can be used to warm kugel.

Parsha Bereshis נר לאפריםז ג ת י ש א ר ב כ ש נ מה ק א ה מ נ מ ה א מ א ל

ע י כ ר י ב י ק ת ר ב א

ג ס ל ל ם ה ו מ ת ל ע כ

ל ך ו נ ח מ ז ל ר ו י ת

ש פ ם א י ב ת ע ד ל ש ו

ב י א ר ח י נ ר מ ע ע ה

ע י ר ז מ י ה פ ה ב ט ר

ת ג ב ו ה ג ל ד ה ע נ א

י ב י ר ן ר ב ת ע ב ז ש

ם ו ו ב ח כ ל ן ו ז ג י

ה ך ל ה ח ק ל ם מ י ץ ת

מארת מזריע מלאכתו שמיםלקחת תרדמה תאכלו הגןהרבה לדעת שבעתים חנוך

What letters in the Sefer Torah have Tagin (crowns)?

P L E A S E   T E L L   M E   W H A T   T H E   R E B B E   S A I DParshas Bereshis

At the end of each day of Creation, HaShem looked at what He had done so far and "saw that it was good." The Creation was good - there was light and darkness, heaven and earth, plants and animals - but it wasn't yet complete. It was only after HaShem created Adam and Chavah that the Torah tells us Vayechulu hashamayim veharetz, "And the heavens and the earth were completed." Though the heavens and the earth were created on the second and third days, they - and indeed the entire creation - were not considered complete until Adam and Chavah were created. Why is this so? After all, Adam and Chavah were only two people. That seems so small when compared to all the animals, plants, water and other things in the universe. Yet when HaShem created man, it is as if He said: "This is what I had in mind when I started creating the world." Not because there were going to be more people than anything else, but because people could be more special. What makes people so special? People have seichel; they can think and understand. But wait a minute. Animals can understand things too. They can figure out how to get food, how to keep warm and how to take care of themselves. Some can even be taught skills and tricks. But animals can only use their seichel to do things that they want for themselves. Animals can't think about ideas that are higher than themselves. People can. And as a matter of fact - people should. When HaShem created Adam and Chavah, He wanted them to use their seichel, not just like animals, but to realize that there are things which are higher than seichel, things which we know are there, but don't understand because they are holy and spiritual. That's why HaShem was so pleased when Adam declared to the world: "Let us bow down to HaShem." Adam had used his seichel to realize that there is a Creator, and that everything should serve Him. When Adam said this, HaShem proclaimed the world completed. This understanding is what He wanted from the first man, and this is what He has wanted from every human being ever since.

(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. IX, pg. 454ff)

THE WONDERS OF CREATION The DuckThe wood duck, one of the species of the larger duck family, received from the Creator very beautiful

colors; their feathers sparkle in breathtaking fashion. The female's feathers are grayish-brown, in order to provide camouflage to hide it from other creatures in the area. The female duck received this special camouflage from the Al-mighty because it is much weaker than its male counterpart, thus requiring better means of defense.

The duck features among the most fascinating methods of eating, using a filtering system. Animals who employ this system first bring large quantities of water into their mouths. There is food situated in the water. The animal filters out the water and keeps the food in his mouth for consumption. The duck has a thick tongue that can be brought back and forth at a remarkably rapid pace. The tongue pulls the water into the beak and then expels it, as the water is filtered by the teeth, which look like very thin spokes - like a comb. Thus, only small fish and other sea creatures remain in the beak, and the duck swallows them whole, without chewing.

Wild ducks fly very well, while domesticated ducks have great difficulty flying. Small ducks, who are involved mainly in eating and growing, also cannot fly. Interestingly, both these situations of ducks who cannot fly or who have difficulty flying share a common factor: they feed their bodies too much and indulge in food and drink to the point where they lose their special talent that sets them apart from other creatures - the ability to fly. The same applies to human beings. Someone who recognizes the importance of spiritual cultivation and works towards perfection in his middot and tries to strengthen himself in the service of his Creator with love, knows that the wings that carry him to spiritual heights are Torah and misvot, not physical indulgence. To the contrary, what prevents a human being from rising spiritually and progressing in Torah is excessive physical indulgence, as the Torah says, "Yeshurun grew fat and kicked - you grew fat and gross and coarse" (Devarim 32:15). Torah is acquired only by limiting one's physical indulgence, as the pasuk says, "from the desert, they came to the gift" - meaning, only if one makes himself like a wilderness, where there are no luxuries, can he receive the great gift of the Torah

TM by O. Werner © 1998

Bereishis

Yossi & Co. is brought to you by Ohr Somayach

"HASHEM said, 'The waters under the heaven shall be gathered to one place and dry land shall be seen.' " (Bereishis 1:9)

"In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth…"With these words, the Torah begins.Breishit - "in the beginning" - is the very first word of the Torah. Breishit is the name of the first of the five books of the Chumash, and it is also the name of the first of the 54 parshiyot (weekly readings)."In the beginning" is different than "Once upon a time." It's true that the Torah is full of stories, but they're not just any stories. First of all, the stories in the Torah are true! Second of all, although they are interesting and enjoyable to read, the stories that make up much of the Torah are not meant to entertain us, but rather to teach us how to live, and how to be Jewish. When we read about the lives of our forefathers and foremothers, we learn lessons that are just as relevant today as they ever were. Parsha Pizzazz brings the timeless stories of the Torah to life!

In the Beginning The Book of Bereishit tells all about the creation of the world and everything in it, and about the very first people.

In six days, HaShem created the world from nothing - every single thing in the heavens and on the earth.

The First Day: Light Up the Darkness"Vayehi ohr" - let there be light!Before there was a world, everything was dark. On the first day, the very first thing HaShem (G-d) created - even before creating heaven and earth - was light! G-d called the light yom ("day"), and the dark lyla ("night"). During the day, when it is light, people go out and walk, play, learn, and work. They ride bicycles, build buildings, plow fields, and shop for groceries. Then at night, it's time for everyone to get cozy in their warm beds, and have a good sleep in the dark quiet of the night.

Vayehi erev, vayehi boker, yom echad - and it was evening, and it was morning, one day.

The Second Day: Water, Water, Everywhere!On the second day, the world was still a place without order. Water covered the earth and went up and up endlessly. HaShem split the water into two parts - the water above and the water below. The water above became the clouds (which are made of tiny little drops of water), and the water below was the water on the surface of the earth.HaShem called the space between the water "shamayim" - sky - which is a contraction of the two words sham mayim ("water is there").

Vayehi erev, vayehi boker, yom sheini - and it was evening, and it was morning, the second day.

The Third Day: Everything that GrowsWhen the third day began, water covered the entire face of the earth. There was no dry land anywhere!HaShem spoke a command, and the waters were gathered in to become oceans, lakes, and rivers. Now there was land - giant continents and small islands - where the water had been. When HaShem separated the water from the land, He called the water yam ("ocean") and the land aretz.Next HaShem said, "Let grass and herbs sprout from the earth, and let fruit trees grow - with seeds, so that they can continue to make more of their kind!" Immediately, every kind of plant, flower, and tree shot up from the ground. Now there were all kinds of tasty leaves, vegetables, and fruits for animals and people to eat.

Vayehi erev, vayehi boker, yom shlishi - and it was evening, and it was morning, the third day.

The Fourth Day: Good HeavensOn the fourth day, HaShem created the sun, moon, and stars, and placed them in their positions in space. Now, when the sun and moon rose and set, there would be signs of a new day beginning, and of a new month, and a new year. 

Vayehi erev, vayehi boker, yom r'vi'i - and it was evening, and it was morning, the fourth day.

The Fifth Day: Swimming, Flying…On the fifth day, HaShem created every kind of swimming and flying creature. The waters became filled with fish of every size and color - from tiny goldfish to enormous blue whales. The skies were filled with swarms of birds - everything from hummingbirds to ostriches. Then HaShem commanded all of these creatures, pru ur'vu - be fruitful and multiply!

Vayehi erev, vayehi boker, yom chamishi - and it was evening, and it was morning, the fifth day.

The Sixth Day: Creeping, Crawling, and WalkingOn the sixth day, HaShem created every creature that moved on the land. In other words… bears, giraffes, monkeys, alligators, dogs, lions, cows, foxes… also, creepy-crawly things like ants, bees, spiders, worms, and even mosquitoes.From the smallest insect to the king of the jungle, each animal was designed by HaShem with incredible wisdom. The more you learn about animals, the more you will understand that the way they see, hear, move, eat, and grow is truly a miracle!Then, last but certainly not least, HaShem created people - a man and a woman - "in His image." He blessed them: "Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth! Conquer it, and rule over all of the other creatures! All of the plants and fruits I have created are for you to eat and enjoy, and they are also food for the animals."People were created last, because it was for them that HaShem created everything else. The plants, animals, oceans, clouds, and even the stars, were all created to prepare the world for human beings to live in it. In the same way that a house must be built, painted, and furnished before it someone can live in it, HaShem made sure everything in the world was ready for the very first man and woman to "move in."HaShem looked over everything He had created, and He saw that it was very, very good!

Vayehi erev, vayehi boker, yom shishi - and it was evening, and it was morning, the sixth day.

The Seventh Day: Time to RestAfter HaShem created everything in the world in the first six days, there was only one thing left to do. What was the only thing that was lacking in the whole world? Rest! It's not good to work all the time. Everyone needs to take a break once in a while, and appreciate what he or she has accomplished. And that's exactly what HaShem did on the seventh day, Shabbat.Ever since the beginning of time, the Jewish people have relived the seven-day cycle of six days of work, followed by one day of rest. For six days we go to school, work in offices, type on computers, build houses, play music, and drive cars. Then on Shabbat, we make a separation between the ordinary days of the week and the special one that is about to begin

by lighting candles and saying a bracha (blessing). We stop all kinds of mundane weekday activities, and we spend the whole day enjoying our families and our friends, learning Torah, praying, and feasting on challah, kugel, and matzah ball soup. Before we eat our festive meals, we say a special bracha over wine to show that Shabbat is a holy day. The words in this part of the parsha are part of the Friday night kiddush we say every week.

On Shabbat, HaShem celebrated! Heaven and earth and everything in them were now complete!Life as we know it was about to begin.

A Match Made in HeavenFor HaShem, creating the most intricate and beautiful flower, or the most complex animal, or the highest mountain, is not hard at all. In fact, when HaShem created the world, it only took a few seconds to create each new thing.But there was one exception. When HaShem created people, He took His time and spent hours on this most important living creature of all. This shows the importance of the first person, and of every person who came after him.In the first hour, HaShem gathered dust from all four corners of the world.In the second hour, HaShem kneaded the dust with water to make clay.In the third hour, HaShem shaped the clay into the form of Adam's body.In the fourth hour, HaShem breathed a neshama (soul) into Adam through his nostrils. (Since every person's neshama is part of G-d, everyone has the potential to become a tzaddik - a holy and righteous person.)In the fifth hour, Adam - the very first human being - stood up and was alive!

In the sixth hour, all of the animals lined up and passed by Adam, and through ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration) he gave names - in Hebrew, of course - to every kind of creature. "Chamor! Next, please? Kelev! Next? Soos! Next! Please keep the line moving; there are animals behind you waiting for their names. Dag! Next…"

HaShem gave him the wisdom to give each animal exactly the right name to express its essential nature.Then, in the seventh hour, HaShem said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper and friend for him." HaShem made Adam fall deeply asleep, and then took a rib from his side. From this rib, HaShem created Chava to be Adam's wife. She was the perfect match for him and they got along instantly!Adam called his wife Chava, "the mother of all life."

Life in the GardenHaShem brought Adam and Chava to a lush garden - the most beautiful place on earth - Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden). There, every kind of tree grew, their branches loaded with ripe, sweet fruit. Adam and Chava could help themselves to whatever they wished, and when they wanted to drink, they would simply scoop up some fresh, clear water from one of the

rivers that flowed through the garden.Then HaShem said to Adam, "You may eat fruit from almost any of the trees in the garden. But you may not eat from the tree that is right in the middle. If you eat that fruit, you will deserve to die, and will no longer have the right to live forever."

Adam then went to Chava to tell her about HaShem's commandment. He didn't want to take any chances that they might eat the fruit from the tree. So he said, "Chava, we are not allowed to touch the tree in the middle of the garden, or eat its

fruit. If we do, we will die."

Trust Me!Shortly after, HaShem sent a clever snake to test whether they would keep His commandment. (At that time, HaShem had given the snake the ability to talk, and to walk upright.)The snake walked up to Chava and said, "Is it really true that HaShem told you not to eat any of the fruits of Gan Eden?""Oh, no, not at all," said Chava. "We are allowed to eat from most of the trees, but we're not allowed to touch the tree in the middle or eat its fruit - or else we will deserve to die.""That's ridiculous!" said the snake. "HaShem knows that eating the fruit from that tree will make you as wise as the angels - and then you will know HaShem's secrets!"

Chava was confused. She thought HaShem had commanded them not to eat the fruit for their own good - and now she wasn't sure. She was starting to believe what the snake was telling her. And, after all, that fruit did look so beautiful, and it would surely taste absolutely divine…At that moment, the snake pushed Chava into the tree. "Aha!" yelled the snake. "You just touched the tree, and you didn't die! See? What did I tell you? And if you eat from it, you also will not die."Hmmm… thought Chava. Adam was wrong. He said we would die if we touched the tree!"OK… I guess you're right…" said Chava to the snake. She reached for a tasty-looking piece of fruit and plucked it off the branch. She took a bite.

She brought a fruit for Adam to eat, figuring that if something was going to happen to her, it might as well happen to him, too.

But Adam wouldn't eat the fruit. Chava wouldn't give up. She begged and pleaded with him… until he finally agreed to take a bite.As soon as they had both eaten, they started to feel… different. They weren't so holy anymore. They started to want to do things they weren't supposed to do, and they had new feelings of jealousy and anger. Before, even though they had no clothes, they weren't embarrassed at all. Now they suddenly felt ashamed. So they made clothes out of huge fig leaves to cover themselves.Truth or ConsequencesThen Adam and Chava heard HaShem's voice, and they tried to hide behind some trees.

HaShem called to Adam, "Where are you? Why are you hiding?" Adam said, "I was ashamed…""Ashamed?! Why? Did you eat from the tree in the middle of the garden?""The woman you gave to me… she handed me a fruit and I ate it."HaShem said to Chava, "What did you do?"Chava said, "The snake tricked me! So I ate the fruit."Since no one would accept responsibility for what they had done, and each one blamed the other, HaShem punished all of them.To the snake HaShem said, "Because of your sin, you will be cursed among all the animals. You will no longer have legs, but will instead crawl on your belly. You'll eat dust all the days of your life! People will always be your enemy. You will try to poison them, but they might step on you and kill you!"Besides all of this, HaShem also took away the snake's power of speech.To Chava HaShem said, "Because of what you and Adam did, you will no longer be allowed to live forever. And when you are expecting a baby, give birth, and raise your children, it will be with great difficulty."

And finally, to Adam HaShem said, "If you had only listened to my commandment for one more hour, you would have been able to live forever in Gan Eden! Now I have to send you out. From this day on, instead of having all of your food ready to eat, fresh from My garden, you will grow your own food by the sweat of your brow. Your fields will grow weeds and thorns,

and you will have to work extra hard to harvest your produce."

Out of the GardenThen HaShem sent Adam and Chava out of Gan Eden. They felt very bad about what they had done… but it was too late. For better or for worse, a new era was beginning.

HaShem stationed angels with swords outside the east entrance to the garden, so that Adam and Chava wouldn't be able to come back in.

The Next Generation

Adam and Chava had two sons, Kayin and Hevel. Kayin, the older one, worked the soil, and he was a selfish and arrogant person. Hevel, the younger brother, was a shepherd, and he was humble.

Sometimes You Have to Make Sacrifices

Adam told his sons, "I have built a mizbeyach (altar). You should both offer sacrifices to HaShem, our creator."Kayin had fields full of beautiful, ripe grains, vegetables, and fruits. But he didn't want to give HaShem his best produce. Instead, he ate everything he wanted first, and then offered the leftover crops to HaShem! Even worse, he didn't put any fruits on the altar - only common stalks of flax.Hevel, on the other hand, took his very best firstborn sheep and offered them on the altar.

HaShem saw what each brother brought. He was pleased with Hevel's generous offering… but less than thrilled with Kayin's stingy sacrifice. So HaShem sent down a fire to consume Hevel's sheep - but not Kayin's "leftover surprise."

Green with EnvyThat made Kayin extremely jealous! "Kayin," said HaShem. "Why are you angry and sad? It's true that this time your sacrifice was not accepted, but you can surely do better next time! If you try to improve, I will forgive you."But Kayin didn't want to hear about it. He went to his brother and said, "Hey, Hevel! It's not fair! HaShem accepted your sacrifice, but he rejected mine!"Kayin worked himself up into such a rage that he picked up a heavy rock and started to hit Hevel with it. He kept smacking his brother with the rock until, finally, with one last blow to his neck, he killed him!

Soon after that, HaShem said to Kayin, "Where is your brother, Hevel?"Kayin replied, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?"HaShem said, "What have you done? Not only did you kill your brother, but also all of his future descendants!"Think about it… when Kayin killed Hevel, he killed a large percentage of the entire world's population at that time (since there were just a few people on earth - plus billions of people that would have come from him in future generations)."Kayin," said HaShem, "you know that I know everything, and I will punish you for what you did. From now on, the ground will be even more cursed because of you! When you work the land, you will only harvest a little bit for all of your efforts. And from this day on, you will be a wanderer, without a home.""Oh, HaShem! I did a terrible thing! And now I'm afraid that when I travel from place to place, wild animals will kill me.""You must repent and change your ways for the good! If you do this, and if your children and your children's children remain good for seven generations, then I will not destroy you. Also, in the meantime, to protect you from being harmed by animals, I will mark your forehead with a letter of My holy name."Kayin headed east, and settled for a while in the land of Nod.

In next week's parsha, generations have passed… and things are getting worse. People aren't behaving nicely at all! But there is one good man, named Noach…

KNOW YOURKNOW YOUR נ"ךנ"ך INTRODUCTION - WHAT IS “NEVIIM RISHONIM”?The popular name "neviim rishonim" - [trans. - the FIRST (or early) prophets] used to describe the books of

Yehoshua, Shoftim, Shmuel, & Melachim can be very misleading! This name is used to differentiate between these four books and what we refer to as "neviim acharonim" [trans. -

the LATER prophets], i.e. Yeshayahu, Yirmiyahu, Yechezkel, & Trei Asar.These two names imply that the PRIMARY difference between NEVIIM RISHONIM & ACHARONIM is

simply WHEN those respective prophets lived. However, this distinction can not be accurate for a very simple reason: Even though most of "neviim rishonim" does deal with an earlier time period, the book of MELACHIM covers the same time period as most all of the "neviim acharonim".

So, what's the difference between them? The answer is quite simple when we consider the basic literary style of each group of "seforim".

The four books of Neviim Rishonim are what we call 'NARRATIVE based', i.e. each sefer presents an ongoing story (in a manner similar to the style of Chumash). In fact, Sefer Yehoshua actually continues the STORY of Chumash for its narrative picks up right where the narrative of Sefer Devarim left off. [i.e. Yehoshua takes over immediately after the death of Moshe Rabeinu.]

Similarly, Sefer Shoftim continues from where the narrative of Sefer Yehoshua ends, then Sefer Shmuel continues the narrative of Sefer Shoftim, and finally Sefer Melachim continues the narrative from Sefer Shmuel.

Therefore, even though each sefer is written by a different prophet, we could almost consider "n'viim rishonim" as a continuous series. [Nonetheless, each sefer stands alone, as we shall prove during our study of each sefer.]

In contrast, the books of "Neviim Acharonim" are what we call 'PROPHECY based', i.e. each sefer presents a COLLECTION of various prophecies delivered by a certain "navi". Even though these books often do contain several stories, those stories are not part of a continuous narrative, rather they either introduce or support a certain prophecy.

To prove this distinction, simply take a quick look at the opening pasuk of each Sefer of Neviim Acharonim. Note how each sefer begins by introducing a set of prophecies. For example:

"The VISIONS [chazon] of YESHAYAHU, son of Amotz..." (1:1) "The WORDS [divrei] of YIRMIYAHU, son of Chilkiyahu..." (1:1) "And it came to pass on the thirtieth year... the WORD OF G-D [dvar HaShem] came to

YECHEZKEL ben Buzi...' (1:1-3) "The WORD OF G-D [dvar HaShem] which came to HOSHEA..."(1:1) "The WORD OF G-D [dvar HaShem] which came to YOEL..."(1:1) etc.

[Note also how after these introductions, we find a collection of prophecies, one after the other, with very little narrative connecting them.]

In contrast, the books of Neviim Rishonim all begin with a continuing story. For example:o "And it came to pass after Moshe (G-d's servant) died..."o "And it came to pass after Yehoshua died..." (Shoftim 1:1) etc.

Even though each sefer of Neviim Rishonim includes certain prophecies, these prophecies form an integral part of that sefer's ongoing narrative!

In fact, the names of Sefer Yehoshua and Sefer Shmuel should not mislead us, for even though they sound similar, they are very different than the names of Neviim Acharonim. For example: When we say "sefer Hoshea", we mean a COLLECTION of prophecies given by the prophet Hoshea. Similarly, when we say "sefer Yeshayahu", we mean a COLLECTION of prophecies given by the prophet Yeshayahu.

However, when we say "sefer Yehoshua, we mean the STORY of what happened to Bnei Yisrael during the TIME PERIOD of the prophet Yehoshua, but NOT a collection of his prophecies. Similarly, "sefer Shmuel" is not a collection of the prophecies of the navi Shmuel, rather it is the story of how the institution of a kingdom is established during the time period of Shmuel.

[Even though Yehoshua himself wrote Sefer Yehoshua (see Baba Batra 14b), the sefer is NOT a collection of his prophecies, rather the story of Bnei Yisrael's conquest and inheritance of the land during his life time.]

This distinction will assist us in our study, for as we search for the primary theme of each sefer, we must consider not only who wrote each sefer, but also WHY it was written - for what purpose. Understanding that purpose will enable us to better appreciate its stories and detail.

Therefore, when we begin our study of Sefer Yehoshua, we should not expect to find a collection of Yehoshua's prophecies, but rather the continuation of Sefer Devarim - i.e. the STORY of what happens to Bnei Yisrael after the death of Moshe. This background will also help us appreciate the numerous parallels between Sefer Yehoshua and Chumash, for many of the 'goals' that Bnei Yisrael were unable to achieve during the time period of Moshe are achieved during the time period of Yehoshua. We will also see how Sefer Yehoshua relates as well to those goals that are not achieved during that time period.

Nonetheless, even though Sefer Yehoshua will contain primarily stories, they will be presented from a prophetic perspective, and hence their details must be studied by searching for their theme and message. In our study, we will analyze both the presentation and progression of those stories in order to uncover their prophetic message.

FUTURE or PAST?In closing, one brief, but important comment on the word prophet ["navi"]. When we say a 'prophet', we

instinctively think of someone who can 'foresee the future'. However, this is hardly the case in "nviim rishonim". Take for example Sifrei Shoftim and Melachim, they were written by n'viim (Shmuel & Yirmiyahu, respectively/ see Baba Batra 14b) who lived at the CONCLUSION of those time periods. And even in Sifrei Yehoshua and Shmuel, rarely do we find the navi predicting future events.

So what is a "navi"? A prophet is a person of the highest moral and religious standard who reaches the level where he can receive "nevuah" from G-d, and then convey that divine message to man - sort of a conduit between G-d and man. [See Rambam Hilchot Yesodai Ha'torah chapters 7 & 8 for a more complete explanation - (highly recommended).]

A beautiful example of this interpretation of the word "navi" if found in Sefer Shmot when Moshe refuses to accept his mission to speak to Pharaoh, claiming that he does not speak clearly (see 6:29-30 "aral sfatayim"). Note G-d's response:

"And HaShem said to Moshe: See, I have appointed you as ELOKIM to Pharaoh, [but] Aharon your brother will be your NAVI". You shall speak what ever I command, and Aharon your brother will RELAY [the command] to Pharaoh... (Shmos 7:1-2)

Here - the word "navi" implies a conduit between Moshe and Pharaoh, i.e. Aharon will serve as Moshe's spokesman before Pharaoh. [Note as well from 7:1-2 that Moshe becomes the ELOKIM, and Aharon becomes the NAVI!]

In this sense, prophets do not necessarily 'see the future'. Instead, they RELAY G-d's message to man. Even though G-d may periodically warn Bnei Yisrael [via His navi] of impending punishment should they continue sinning, this should not be considered as simply 'predicting the future'. In fact, quite often, the navi warns them so that they repent - in order that the punishment will NOT come true!

Furthermore, most prophecies comment on events which have ALREADY TAKEN PLACE to explain WHY those events happened [see for example Shoftim 2:11-23]. From this perspective, a NAVI could be considered more of a 'guidance counselor' than a 'forecaster'.

THE TANACH STUDY CENTER [http://tanach.org] In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

HEAVENLY HUMORWhy G-d Created Eve

G-d was worried that Adam would become lost in the garden because he would not ask for directions.

G-d knew that Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf when his wore out, and would need Eve to make sure he was decent.

G-d knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate and hand him the remote control.

G-d knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor or dentist appointment by himself.

G-d knew Adam would never remember which night to put the garbage out by the curb.

G-d knew if the world was to be populated men would never be able to handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.

Adam had to do his job as the Keeper of the Garden, and would need Eve to remind him where he left his tools.

Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when G-d caught him hiding in the Garden.

As the Bible says, “It is not good for man to be alone”.

And the main reason why G-d created Eve …When G-d finished creating Adam, He stepped back, scratched his head, and said, “I can do better than that!”

Ten Reasons Adam Was The Most Fortunate Man1. He is the only man who has never been compared to the man she could have married. 

2. He had no in-laws to drop in. 

3. There were no Jones for him to keep up with. 

4. There were no credit cards OR shopping centers. 

5. He never had his dinner interrupted by telephone sales calls. 

6. He got away with wearing a simple wardrobe. 

7. He never had to shovel snow! 

8. If he had gone bald, who would have known that wasn't normal. 

9. There was no "standard weight and height" tables - and the word FAT meant good. 

10. When G-d asked "Adam, where are you?" He replied, "The woman you gave me was reading the map."

AND G-D CREATED SLEEP by Rabbi David Zauderer    

Torah from Dixie Staff Writer    

Everyone knows what it says in the Torah that G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day, Shabbat. Well, not exactly. You see, in Genesis (not the video game, kids!) Chapter 2 verse 2, it states, "On the seventh day G-d completed His work which He had done."      The words indicate that there was some work that G-d hadn’t completed during the six days of creation, but that He finished on the seventh day. Rashi, the preeminent Torah commentator, quotes a Midrash that the only thing that wasn’t created until the seventh day was "menuchah-rest." That was created by G-d on Shabbat, and thus was completed the entire work of creation. He created rest??!! Why did He have to create rest? Just stop what you’re doing and, bingo, you got yourself some rest! Is there a course called Relaxation 101 in college? Do you have to train for a degree in "restology"? I think that the answer to this question can be readily understood if we study our own generation, a generation when we have much "easier" lives than our parents and grandparents had, when we have more time to rest and relax, and more forms of recreation than our predecessors ever had. Yet, we are hardly at rest with our souls and ourselves. To quote George Carlin in a brief essay entitled, The Paradox of Our Time: "The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years." So, you see, it’s not so easy to rest and enjoy some quality time with each other. Real rest and peace of mind has to be manufactured and created and only G-d has a recipe that works. That recipe is Shabbat. When we light the Shabbat candles and sit down together with our families, putting out of our minds all the business of the week, and focusing on our most precious gifts - our spouse, children, and our own spirituality; then we will have experienced true R&R. Shabbat is G-d’s creation on the seventh day, and it is His everlasting gift for us to truly enjoy.

OF VERSES & VERSETS – "KOL PASUK D'LO PASAK MOSHE"  From CHABURA-NETThe kiddush recited on Friday nights begins in a most curious manner. The opening paragraph comes from Bereishit 2:1-3, an appropriate-enough selection, as those verses describe the very first Shabbat in creation. However, there is some debate as to how this paragraph should begin. Common practice is to follow the view cited by the Chatam Sofer (responsa 1:10) and others, and begin with the words "Yom HaShishi" – the sixth day. The main reason for this addition is that the first letters of those two words and of the two words that begin Bereishit 2:1 ("Vayechulu HaShamayim") spell out the ineffable tetragrammaton – the four-letter name of HaShem. This is a common practice is Jewish literature, perhaps most famously in the opening words of Rambam's Yad haChazakah, reflecting our desire to allude to HaShem in as many ways and as often as possible.However, there is a further practice to begin not with "Yom HaShishi," but rather four words earlier with "Vayehi erev vayehi boker" – and it was evening and it was daybreak. Those four words precede Yom HaShishi in the last verse of Genesis 1 and thus these six words form a complete phrase (as opposed to having Yom HaShishi rendered meaningless in the context of kiddush and inserted merely for the purpose of the acronym).There is a greater issue at play here, and that is the subject of this week's Chabura. We begin with the Gemara in Berachot 12b, which discusses the various parshiyot that were made a part of the daily recitation of Shema. The Gemara notes that the Sages wanted to institute the recitation of the story of Balak and Bilaam (Bamidbar 23 and 24) since it includes the phrase "they crouch, they lie down like a lion, like the king of beasts; who dare rouse them (referring to the Jews)." Just as our version of Shema speaks about laying down and getting up, so too does these verses and thus there was a movement to include them. However, as their inclusion would render the Shema prohibitively long and thus create an unnecessary burden on the community (tircha d'tzibura), they were left out. The Gemara then asks why that one verse could not have been left in, and it responds that any parsha that Moshe himself did not define, we cannot come along and define ourselves. Thus, since this verse is part of a greater section in the Torah, we may not extract this one verse to form its own entity.This idea is given further expression in Ta'anit 27b and Megilla 22a. The discussion there focuses on how many people get called up to read the creation story. When the Gemara suggests that two people get called up to read the first day of creation, a problem ensues. There are only five verses in the story of the first day, and we have a law that each person must read at least three verses! Thus, Rav suggests that one person be called up to read verses one through three, and the second person begin his reading at verse three and continue through verse five (similar to our current practice on Rosh Chodesh). Shmuel disagrees, and claims that we can read half of verse three for the first person and half of it for the second. The Gemara then asks why Rav does not adopt the view of Shmuel, and it responds that Rav held that any verse that Moshe did not define, we cannot define for ourselves ("kol pasuk d'lo pasak Moshe anan nami lo paskinan"). Since Moshe did not have this split in verse three, we may not artificially divide the verse. While this concept of not breaking verses in half seems to have solid basis in the Gemara, it is interesting that it is not cited in any context by Rambam, the Tur, or the Shulchan Aruch, and it is barely dealt with, if at all, by any of the major Rishonim. While the position of Rav is codified by the Tur and Shulchan Aruch in the context of the Torah reading on Rosh Chodesh (O.C. 423:2), this concept is not mentioned explicitly. Nevertheless, there has been some degree of discussion of this principle over the past few centuries, and thus we will look at those views.First, we should distinguish between the two Gemaras cited above. The Gemara in Berachot speaks about a problem of breaking up parshiyot, entire sections of the Torah, while the Gemara in Ta'anit and Megilla speaks about breaking up verses. Anyone familiar with even the smallest amount of Jewish liturgy is aware of the fact that we constantly recite single verses out of their contexts, and thus it seems that the Gemara in Berachot is all but ignored. In a shiur given in honor of the yahrzeit of his father, Rav Yoseif Dov Soloveitchik ("the Rav") addressed this issue. He noted that there is another issue with regard to Shema. Our third paragraph contains two elements – the mitzva to wear tzitzit and the mitzva to remember the Exodus form Egypt. During the daytime recitation of the Shema, it makes sense to say the entire paragraph. However, at night one is not obligated to wear tzitzit and thus only the verse that speaks of the Exodus should be recited! Citing out Gemara in Berachot, the Rav notes that we must keep the entire parasha in tact and thus we cannot extract the one verse that we need. However, he then notes that we are never strict to not break up parshiyot, so why are we doing so here? He thus notes that there are two laws – one law is to not break up verses, while the second law is that of reading the paragraphs as they are written in the Torah. This second law, based on the Gemara in Berachot, applies only to Shema. Thus, it governs the exclusion of the story of Bilaam and the recitation of the entire third paragraph at

night. However, outside of Shema, there does not seem to be any other time when we are concerned about an entire parasha. (for more on this topic, see the Rav's "Shiurim L'Zecher Avi Mori z"l," volume 1; see also the Zohar cited by Magen Avraham O.C. 282 and Turei Even to Rosh HaShana 31a concerning being able to continue reciting a parsha at a later point and how that aspect differentiates a parsha from a pasuk)Now that we have narrowed our scope to focus solely on individual verses, we have to ask which verses are included in this law? Based on the wording of the Gemara, it would seem that only verses in the Torah itself, and not those in the prophets (nevi'im) and writings (ketuvim), are included, since only the Torah was written by Moshe. This matter is subject to debate as brought down by the Magen Avraham (O.C. 422:8). According to Tosafot in Succah, there is a problem with splitting up verses in the recitation of Hallel, even though it is composed entirely of chapters from Tehillim. The Kol-Bo disagrees and says that there is no such issue with ketuvim (we rely on this view in splitting up the verse "ana HaShem hoshia na, ana HaShem hatzlicha na" – by repeating each half separately, we recite only half of a verse at a time). While the Magen Avraham seems to lean towards the view of the Kol-Bo, the Maharsham (responsa 3:359) favors the view of Tosafot. Similarly, the Chayei Adam (5:2) says that this law applies to nevi'im and ketuvim as well, and the Rav introduces the formulation "any verse that David did not define we may not define ourselves" to stress this point (see the aforementioned shiur, page 15).This being the case, how do we deal with the fact that there are many times in prayer that we do split up verses? The paragraph of "yehi kevod" that is recited before Ashrei in the morning is rife with half-verses and even verse fragments! Several answers have been suggested for this difficulty. The Maharsham (loc. cit.) suggests that it is permissible to recite parts of verses if it is done as a form of praise to HaShem, a view based on the comments of the Magen Avraham (O.C. 282, based on the Zohar in Vayakel), who allows such broken verses to be recited if it is done for supplication. Daniel Shperber, in Minhagei Yisrael volume 2, cites Rav Reuven Margoliyot, who suggests that while there is a problem with beginning a verse and stopping in the middle, it is permitted for one to begin a verse from the middle and recite it to its conclusion. As proof, he cites the laws of bikkurim (the first fruits), where the owners had to recite the verses in Devarim 26, beginning with the middle of verse four.In an appendix in volume four of his work, Shperber cites Rav Avraham Nadav, who offers four possible exceptions to this rule. First, it does not apply to verses in ketuvim. Second, it does not apply to verses recited as prayers or supplications. Third, it does not apply if the phrase is only two words long (such as "HaShem melech"). This is based on the Gemara in Gittin 6b which allows a person to write two words of a Torah without the requisite underlines (sirtut) being scratched into the parchment. Tosafot there note that Riva rules that while it is forbidden to write a verse without the lines for the purpose of exposition, it is permitted if the verse is merely being cited as part of a letter (and it was extremely common practice throughout the Middle Ages and beyond for Torah scholars to write letters borrowing heavily from the well-known phraseology of Tanakh). Finally, Nadav claims that according to the responsa Rav Pe'alim, one may divide a verse by an 'etnachta,' loosely described as a cantillation comma, since an etnachta has similarities to the punctuation used at the end of a verse ('sof pasuk'; for example, both would render the word 'kesef' as 'kasef').There is one more exception that is noted. The Tzitz Eliezer (9:17:10) cites the Sfat Emet asks how the Hagadah used on Pesach can cite so many fragments of verses (most famously "avadim hayinu")? The Sfat Emet claims that it is not considered to be breaking a verse if the verse contains the words " le'emor" or "v'amarta" – "and you should say" or "so saying." Since the verse describes something tat one should say, one only has to say that part, and does not have to recite as well the command to say it. The Tzitz Eliezer gives a more technical answer, claiming that when the hagadah cites such verses, it is sure to alter a word or two so as to avoid this problem.One of the more famous applications of this concept is the verse recited when the Torah is raised (hagbaha) after being read. The version found in most Ashkenazi siddurim is "v'zot haTorah asher sam Moshe lifnei Bnei Yisrael al pi HaShem b'yad Moshe." Sefaradi siddurim mainly leave out the part beginning with "al pi HaShem," as it comes from a different verse, and it only part of a verse at that. Rav Chaim Volozhin was therefore very careful to recite all of Bamidbar 9:22 (the source of the fragment), and this text is found in the siddurim of the Shelah and Ya'avetz. Interestingly, Rav Hershel Schachter, in Nefesh HaRav (p. 142), notes that Rav Yoseif Dov Soloveitchik followed Rav Chaim's warning, but instead of reciting the entire verse, he simply omitted that fragment and only recited the first verse (I have heard this orally from Rav Binyamin Tabory as well).Finally, we return to our initial discussion, the beginning of Friday night kiddush. While we noted the practice of beginning from the words "vayehi erev vayehi boker," that solution may still be problematic, as those words are only the second half of the verse. Along the lines of Rav Chaim by hagbaha, it would therefore seem that one

should recite all of Bereishit 1:31 – "va-yar Elokim et kol asher asah v'hinei tov me'od, vayehi erev vayehi boker yom hashishi." However, the Chatam Sofer cites the Medrash in Bereishit Rabba 9 which claims that the words "tov me'od" are a reference to death and thus should not be made part of kiddush. Rav Schachter (Nefesh HaRav p. 159) claims that the Rav rejected this view, and he in fact did recite the entire verse, although he did recite it quietly (which Shperber suggests doing to solve the problem from all sides).There are a few more answers given to solve the issue by kiddush. Rav Menachem Kasher, in Torah Sheleimah (1:418) brings an answer from the Yerushalmi. While the phrase "vayehi erev vayehi boker yom..." is part of a verse by the sixth day, it is an entire verse in other places in creation (days three, four, and five). Thus, even though here it is only part of a verse, it can be viewed as still having some status as a full verse due to the analogous formulations elsewhere in Bereishit 1. Finally, the Iyun Tefillah (commentary to the Otzar HaTefillot) believes that there was a time when the practice was to recite the entire verse at the beginning of kiddush. As proof, he adduces a line in the Friday night song "kol mekadesh shvi'i." In that song, the poet writes "tehorim yirashuha vikadeshuha b'ma'amar kol asher asah" – the holy ones (the Jews) will inherit it (Shabbat) and will sanctify it with the statement of 'kol asher asah.' He makes note of the fact that the Sages claim that the world was created with ten ma'amarot, or divine utterances, the last of which ends with the end of the sixth day. The last verse of the sixth day of creation is the verse that we are discussing, and the last words before the familiar formulation of "vayehi erev..." are "kol asher asah v'hinei tov me'od." Thus, the Iyun Tefillah suggests that this line in the song was based on the fact that the kiddush ("vikadeshuha") once upon a time included the line of "kol asher asah," in accordance with the view that it should be recited to avoid the problem of splitting the verse.

The Ten Utterances With Which the World Was Created (Daf Yomi Digest)ורבי יונתן אמר כנגד עשרה מאמרות שבהן נברא העולם

The world was created with ten utterances (Avos 5:1).

When counting the number of utterances of Creation, our Gemara notes that the words "G-d said" only appear nine times throughout the account of Creation. Nevertheless, the Gemara explains that we are to include the opening statement of "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth" as an utterance of creation, bringing the grand total to ten.

The Vilna Gaon explains that the tenth utterance of creation is actually to be found in Bereshis 1:29-30, where we find “And G-d said: ‘Behold, I have given to you all herbage yielding seed, etc.’ ” It does not seem as if there is anything being created in this verse, and that it is simply a clarification to man that the vegetation of the earth is his to eat. Nevertheless, with this statement, the very nature of the greens and herbage of the land and how they affect man was established.

In Mishnas Aharon, HaRav Aharon Kotler, zt”l, explains that until this statement was issued, the vegetation of the land was not suitable for human or animal consumption. Although the animal kingdom, including man, needed to eat, the fruits and vegetables and other plants were not fit for animal digestion. With this decree, “It shall be for you to eat,” these items now became fit as food, and only then did they have the ability to be broken down by their systems for their nutritional value and to meet the needs of the animal kingdom.

Accordingly, we can now understand why this proclamation, concluding with verse 30, signs off by stating, "And it was so." This is because this statement, which declares vegetation as food for animals, is not merely a statement of fact, but is actually a command and directive wherein the grasses were assigned a new function. The Torah therefore informs us that this new purpose in creation was accepted and applied to reality.

The Torah states (Devarim 8:3): "For it is not by bread alone that man will live, rather it is by all that which comes out from the mouth of HaShem." This can be understood to be conveying the message of our verse. The fact that bread sustains and satisfies the hunger of man is not an inherent aspect of bread being what it is. Rather, once HaShem declared that bread is to be a staple of man's diet, it then was infused with a constant character to do just that, for it now has the power to fulfill man's food needs.

HaShem Elokim planted a garden in Eden…And HaShem caused to sprout from the ground every tree that was pleasing…Also the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden. (2:8,9)

Rashi interprets the words, “b’soch hagan,” in the literal sense: the Eitz Ha’daas was in the center of Gan Eden, equidistant from everything in the garden. Rashi defines b’soch in the “geographical” sense. He could just as well have interpreted b’soch as meaning “among” the other types of vegetation. How does Rashi understand that the tree was situated in the center of the garden? Horav Yosef Siegel, zl, of Chicago writes in his sefer Chazon Yosef that he heard the answer to this question from the sainted Chofetz Chaim at the end of World War I and comes to us by way of the following story:

Prior to accepting his position, in Radin, the Chofetz Chaim was rav in Simiatitz, Russia. Horav Siegel happened to be in this city on the last Shabbos of the Chofetz Chaim’s stay, as he was taking leave of the community. It coincided with the Bolshevik revolution as the communists were taking over the government. They immediately seized everyone’s land and began hoarding food. People -- who simply wanted to survive -- would have to go to the commissar in every community to receive their rations. While this put a great strain upon the wealthy, we can only begin to imagine the overwhelming pressure this placed on the poor. Indeed, many people perished from hunger and deprivation, not able to obtain decent rations for their families. The Chofetz Chaim took upon himself the obligation to provide the basic necessities for the poor. He gathered flour from those who could spare a bit, while his daughter “Sarah’le” baked bread to distribute to the poor.

The time came for the Chofetz Chaim to leave this small town; the poor were hysterically afraid of what would happen now that their “source” of sustenance was departing. They pleaded with him brokenheartedly to provide for their needs. Obviously, the Chofetz Chaim did not savor this tragic situation. The Chofetz Chaim ascended the podium to deliver his last sermon. With tears streaming down his face, he begged for forgiveness from the community. He conceded that while he certainly did not hurt anybody financially, he might have offended someone’s dignity. We can imagine the tzaddik hador, the saint of a generation of tzaddikim, asking mechilah, begging forgiveness, from his community. Certainly, such a person never hurt anyone – even inadvertently. He closed by saying that they all, himself included, should cleanse themselves of any possible offenses to their fellow man, either by humiliating, or lashon hora– knowingly and unknowingly.

After the sermon, the kehilla, davened Minchah, and a number of the shul’s dignitaries accompanied the Chofetz Chaim to his house for Seudah Shlishis. As they walked along the street, they met a Jewish young man, a powerful communist, the distinguished commissar of the town, who tragically had become an apostate. When the Chofetz Chaim saw him, he greeted him pleasantly, “Gut Shabbos.” The young man responded with the reverence reserved for a noted scholar, “Gut Shabbos, Rebbe.” The Chofetz Chaim then invited him to join him for Seudah Shlishis. The young man refused, stating that he had already “eaten” the third Shabbos meal. The Chofetz Chaim said that he would like him to join him at home for a little talk.

Indeed, all of the assembled were shocked at what was transpiring before their eyes. Their beloved rebbe, the gadol hador, was consorting with a known miscreant, a sonei Yisrael, Jew-hater of the highest order. Horav Siegel relates how the Chofetz Chaim’s gabbai, secretary, divulged to him this young man’s pedigree. His family was far from reputable; he, however, distinguished himself as a scoundrel and thief, a truly rotten apple from an equally contemptible tree.

He had been caught stealing one time too many and was sent to Siberia to be incarcerated for “life.” During the Bolshevik Revolution, however, all prisoners had been freed. His evil was now sanctioned by the government. He rose quickly in the ranks, achieving high marks for his “prolific” past. As evil as he was to the Jewish community before he had been jailed, his new position afforded him even greater opportunity to continue his nefarious activities – legally. This made the Chofetz Chaim’s invitation to him all the more intriguing.

The Chofetz Chaim said, “I summoned you because I would like to make a request of you. First, I would like to tell you a dvar Torah.” “Rebbe,” responded the commissar, “I really do not think that I am ‘ready’ to hear a Torah thought.” “Do not worry,” said the Chofetz Chaim, “It will be simple but meaningful.” The Chofetz Chaim began by citing the pasuk which we have questioned. “Why”, asked the Chofetz Chaim, “was it important to have the Eitz Ha’daas in the center of Gan Eden?” The Eitz Ha’daas, the Tree of Life, was the source from which spiritual life, Divine sustenance, flowed. Everyone is in need of this source of life; everyone seeks to fulfill the required course for achieving life. Because people are different from one another, there are also various ways available to be nurtured by the Tree of Life. Some reach it through Torah study; others through mitzvos; yet others through avodah, devotional service to the Almighty. There are people for whom acts of loving-kindness, charity, and promoting good-will are their tickets for achieving spiritual life.

HaShem sought to provide everyone with an equal opportunity for attaining life. He, therefore, planted the Tree of Life in the center of Gan Eden to convey to everyone that life is achievable for everyone – equally. We are all equidistant from the Eitz Ha’daas. Whichever approach we take, we will realize our goal: some through Torah; some through avodah; some through gemillas chasadim, but everyone in accordance with his ability, talent and personality. “My son,” the Chofetz Chaim raised his voice, “you have been estranged from our people and religion for too long. You have now been granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform an incredible act of gemillas chesed by providing food to the poor Jews of this town. You can achieve the life that heretofore has been so distant from you. Who knows if it was not for this specific purpose that HaShem granted you such a powerful position in the government. I implore you to undertake the responsibility of sustaining the poor. In this way you, too, will achieve spiritual life.”

Needless to say, the hardened criminal possessed a soft Jewish heart and soul beneath the veneer of evil. He acquiesced to the Chofetz Chaim’s plea, and the Jews of that community no longer suffered from hunger. We now understand the significance of placing the Eitz Ha’daas in the center of Gan Eden.

The Weekly Haftorah by Reuben Ebrahimoff - The

Haftorahman Parshas Bereishis

Every week this column will explain the following: The story of the Haftarah. When did it happen & where did it happen? Who wrote it and what were they like? What famous things did they say? What can we learn from this Haftarah? We invite you to give us your feedback to hear what you think.

This weeks Haftarah for Parashat Bereshit:

Introduction: The Haftaras are portions from the books of the Prophets. They are read after the Torah on Shabbat, festivals and fast days. It is like reading the ancient secret diaries of the men & women whose vision was devoted to enabling all people to feel deeply connected with the source of all goodness, HaShem. Please join me in this adventure.

How did the Haftaras get started? During the time of King Antiochus Epiphanes from Greece he prohibited the Jews in Israel from reading from the Torah because he realized that the source of the Jewish peoples inspiration came from the learning of the Torah.

Jews substituted it from the Books of the prophets that had a similar theme.

This week's Haftarah is read from the book of Isaiah Chapter 42 verse 5 until Chapter 43 until verse 10. The story line of this week’s Haftarah. The Haftarah begins with the prophet Isaiah reminding us that the world to come is imminent HaShem will free the Jewish people from being in exile. Then HaShem will show the entire world that he is the true master. Then the Jews will be lead out of exile. It speaks of HaShem punishing Bnai Yisrael’s oppressors. Followed by a reproof to the Jews in exile. Isaiah continues to explain of HaShem’s intervention. We continue with the reprimand and assurance that HaShem is with us even in exile. Israel will then be degraded in exile and then redeemed by HaShem. HaShem will help us to survive the exile. HaShem promises that Bnai Yisrael will be gathered in from all parts of the world. Then the in gathering of the righteous Jews will start. The Haftara concludes with the proof that the Divine prophecies concerning the future will come true.

Lesson of the week: HaShem’s goodness is constant. It's man's choice, if he wants to bring himself closer to HaShem and to enjoy his goodness. The world to come promises to be a totally new society of brotherly love, peace and G-dliness. (In this Haftara, HaShem has put in writing that he has a gift that he wants to “hand” to us, Olam Habah, (the world to come) is that gift, he just wants us to get close enough to him to receive this gift of a perfect world. For the next year we will go on a journey to discover how the prophets brought themselves closer to HaShem.

Isaiah’s Biography: Name means “Salvation of HaShem” · Wrote his own book, 66 chapters long · Father was a prophet named Amoz · Was from a royal family and had access to the Bais Hamikdash. ( The Holy Temple) · He was born in the year 765 b.c.e. (8th century) about 2760 years ago. · 25 years old when he had his first prophetic vision. · After Moses he was considered to be the greatest of all prophets. · 4 prophets lived in Isaiah’s time –Hosea, Amos, Michah and Isaiah. · Born circumcised · He survived 4 kings – Uzziah, Yotham ,Ahaz, Hezkiah · He lived 120 years · Isaiah said he saw a “vision” of HaShem’s throne. · He had one wife and two sons. His sons names were Maher Shlal Baz & Shear Yashuv. · He was killed by Menasheh the King of Judah. · He predicted Israel’s demise

Famous Pesukim from Isaiah - said on weekdays in the Amidah, “Hasheeva shoftainu kevarishona v’yoatzenu kevatchelah.” HaShem will restore the Judges as at the first and your counselors as at the beginning.

Timeline: This Haftarah occurs about 2700 years ago before the 1st temple was destroyed.

Map: Isaiah prophesied in Jerusalem.

Connection to the Parshah: The similar core concept between the Parshah and Haftarah is that at the beginning of the Parshah of Bereshis it speaks of HaShem creating the heaven and earth. The Haftarah also begins with “So says HaShem, the Creator of heaven and earth.” While the weekly Torah portion focuses on the creation of the universe, the weekly Haftarah portion focuses on the creation of the world to come.